Living the Dream

This morning I am reminded that we are living the dream - life with kids. No, we don't have a big, fancy house or drive new cars, but I have a great husband who never minds peanut butter and jelly or cereal and bagels for supper when we have spent the day in the yard reading or reworking math problems. I get to spend most of my time with four amazing kids with completely different abilities and personalities trying desperately to shape them into relatively smart and caring little people. We work at our own pace and are able (when we break out of our self-imposed, okay mom-imposed, boxes) to study the things we are interested in. We read really great books, some out loud and some on our own. When we are exhausted from life, we have the freedom to take breaks or slow things down. At lunch we are free to play board games or play outside, and when our extended families need us, we just put things on hold and lend a hand.

Now there are the occasional days when the dream feels like a nightmare. You know, the days when no child is interested in any thing - not books, chores, or even other people. But today, we will focus on living the dream rather than the nightmare. Today, we'll read, play, write, work, rest, and laugh together. Most of all, we'll be thankful that we can live the dream.